Survey Details
Cape Town was voted the world’s most beautiful city in a 2026 Time Out survey that asked 24,000 urban residents to describe their own cities. 86% of Capetonians said their city was beautiful, a figure that placed it ahead of Edinburgh (84%) and Sydney (79%). The survey was visualised by @visualcap in collaboration with @voronoiapp, who mapped each city’s score against a world backdrop and shared the results on Instagram.
Global Rankings
Beyond Cape Town, the survey ranked the following cities: - Chicago - 77% - Lisbon - 70% - Paris - 70% - Stockholm - 68% - Porto - 67% - Medellín - 66% - Riga - 65% - San Diego - 64% - Panama City, Cambridge, Florence, Rio de Janeiro and Bath - 60% - Vienna and Brasília - 59% - Bangalore - 58% The list also noted that Chicago was the highest-ranked city in the United States.
Reactions
The Instagram post sparked global discussion. Commenters such as @randtrades praised the result, while @aleson.barbosa joked about Rio and Chicago. @arctvrvs_ pointed out the absence of Barcelona, and @artsydemondesigns noted Cape Town’s crime situation. @idnhdjri questioned the number of participants, and @stjskke3 suggested Islamabad should have been included. @idnhdjri also confirmed Sydney’s beauty and expense.
Other Highlights
Briefly News, the outlet that published the survey, also reported on an American tourist’s experience with Cape Town’s mountain community, a UCT cancer research breakthrough, and an emotional story of an American mother in Cape Town who witnessed South African community spirit.
The survey’s findings confirm what many South Africans have long believed: Cape Town, set between the mountain and the sea, holds a beauty that is difficult to rival anywhere in the world.
